A request for an aquatic chair lift at the swimming pool at the Village of Sunset Pointe led to a call for lifts at other pools south of County Road 466 in The Villages.
Carole Muscle, a 12-year resident of The Villages, made the appeal for the chair lift Monday morning before the Project Wide Advisory Committee.
Last year, PWAC took over responsibility for amenities south of County Road 466.
Muscle described neighbors with Parkinson’s Disease and other physical limitations who have trouble getting in and out of the pool. She also described a neighbor who was a paraplegic.
“He just fell into the pool,” she said.
She said the aquatic chair lift would make a big difference for her neighbors.
“It’s not a luxury. It’s a necessity for health and safety and quality of life,” said PWAC member and Community Development District 7 Supervisor Jerry Vicenti.
Chair lifts cost between $7,000 and $10,000.
Recreation Director John Rohan said there are 86 swimming pools in The Villages. Thirty-seven of the pools have chair lifts.
Chair lifts are automatically being put in by the Developer in swimming pools in the newer areas of The Villages.
However, five pools south of County Road 466, including the Sunset Pointe pool, don’t have chair lifts.
In addition to agreeing to install a chair lift at the Sunset Pointe pool, PWAC members agreed to put chair lifts at the remaining four pools in next year’s budget.
